Conventionally, a system has been proposed in which functions of applications which operate on a personal computer (PC) and the function of a multi-functional peripheral are associated with each other, so that the multi-functional peripheral can operate as a part of the total application system. By using the system and loading external authentication/tabulation applications therein, it is also possible to perform uniform management of the accounting functions including authentication/tabulation of the multi-functional peripheral by the server.
Moreover, in a conventional multi-functional peripheral, a default screen (a copy screen etc.) specified by a setting in the multi-functional peripheral is displayed as an initial screen after logging in.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-273126 discloses a multi-functional peripheral capable of displaying a preferred initial screen for each user when an authentication has been completed successfully with the use of an authentication function provided in the multi-functional peripheral itself. This multi-functional peripheral is configured such that as a preferred initial screen, a screen of the function that is selected first when a plurality of functions are sequentially selected during login or a screen of the function that is frequently selected first is displayed.
However, the multi-functional peripheral described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-273126 does not correspond to the system as described above in which the multi-functional peripheral can operate as a part of the total application system, so that only a screen of the function of the multi-functional peripheral itself serves as the initial screen and the screen displayed when connected to an external application server cannot be used as the initial screen.
That is, in the multi-functional peripheral described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-273126, it is impossible to shift to a screen on which an application of an external application server (external application) can be operated immediately after login. Accordingly, it is necessary after login to select a menu relating to the external application out of menus of the functions unique to the multi-functional peripheral, such as copy, in order to use the external application.